Mud Hut Travel Blog

What a fantastic three days it has been. It was Mud Hut Travel’s second WTM and my first. Just imagine, the whole of Excel London filled with travel industry representatives. Countries from all the continents, all shapes and sizes, had wonderful stalls, showcasing what their particular region or company has to offer. A feast for the travel-hungry professional.
It was fantastic to be able to meet some of the people we have been working with over the past year – representatives from lodges and management groups in Zimbabwe – especially as Victoria Falls has been really popular at Mud Hut lately. It’s an incredible destination, showcasing some of the best southern Africa has to offer, and it was fantastic to be able to learn much more about this amazing country. Victoria Falls, right on the mighty Zambezi River, is a firm honeymoon favourite for the adventure-loving. Zimbabwe has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in the last few years, and it was great to find out that the tourism industry there is still going strong and that there are funds flowing into a region that has so much to offer and needs support. A custom-made adventure trip to this amazing place is always a highlight for any trip to Southern Africa.

Some of Malawi’s stunning lakeside lodges, like Kaya Mawa, are getting a facelift this year, and it should continue to attract travellers who want to combine lake and land adventures.

Zambia, a Mud Hut favourite and all-round breathtaking experience on the Southern African circuit, is going from strength to strength. We managed to tie strong bonds with some of our trusted contacts in the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi parks, like Norman Carr safaris

and Robin Pope Safaris, and their seasonal walking safari camps, Sausage Tree Camp and the beautiful lodges run by Sanctuary Retreats, Puku Ridge Camp and the Chichele Presidential Lodge. I spent Christmas in the South Luangwa last year, and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The Zambian lodges are incredibly well appointed and attract honeymooners from all over the world.

We managed to make close contact with people from Explore Gorongosa – an amazing camp in Mozambique’s prime game reserve. They do fantastic specials combining game viewing with the breathtaking tropical beach lodges the country is famous for. Our honeymoon favourite, Flamingo Bay Water Lodge, was represented and it was good touching base in person again.

Namibia was a revelation – having been a regular winner or runner-up in Wanderlust’s Travel Awards Top Country category, this arid and stunningly beautiful country had a strong presence at the WTM. Showcasing lodges, adventure trips, sustainable tourism effort or cultural encounters. And if you have World Cup tickets or you are travelling to South Africa in general, it’s really easy to tag on an excursion to Namibia.
Our horseback safaris have attracted a lot of interest over the past few months, and we managed to secure great deals again, especially in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and the Limpopo Valley. I always thought this is the best way to see game – up close and personal, and the comraderie and down-to-earth atmosphere on these specialist safaris are incredible. We can now offer horseback holidays in southern Africa for all levels.

South Africa, of course, had a fantastically strong presence. It was all about the World Cup – a lot of the activities at the WTM were based around football. The Kruger Park is always a firm favourite on the safari circuit and we were lucky to be able to meet up with representatives from some of our favourite lodges there – Sense of Africa’s Lukimbi and Idube as well as finding new boutique hotels and self-catering apartments in Cape Town and the close-by vineyards of Stellenbosch and Franschoek. South Africa, as always, is going from strength to strength.

There were fantastic lectures, too – all about some of the latest efforts in sustainable and responsible tourism. Discussions around the future of adventure travel. Case studies into package versus custom travel. Of course we were lapping it all up, trying to figure out how to translate all of these ideas into our particular business, that of creating custom-made itineraries for travel in Southern Africa. I had been planning quite a few client honeymoons lately, and it was great to learn how to approach this specialist market more effectively.

Can’t wait for next year’s WTM!

If you want to get in touch … 

Above all, keep smiling!
Bettina

The purpose of this document is to create awareness around probable business travel restrictions during the Soccer World Cup to be held June - July 2010.

Although the official World Cup is 11 June - 11 July 2010, the period between March and July 2010 will be an exceptionally busy period with the pre- and post- arrangements that will have a huge impact on business travel. The grid below indicates the magnitude of the disruption to business travel over this period which includes other major events beside the FIFA World cup.

Overview of what is to be expected during the World Cup:

1. Volume of Travellers expected
The World Cup is approximately 15 times bigger than the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The media contingent that will attend is estimated at 30 000. Business travel is disrupted purely due to the volume of supporters.

All indications are that approximately 220 000 long haul visitors will attend, 180 000 visitors from Africa and an average of 150 000 local supporters. On any match day it is envisaged that 100 000 travellers will need to use a travel commodity i.e. flight or road / rail transportation.

An additional 2 000 busses have been imported (overload on road transport) to carry these supporters. It is predicted that supporters will watch their team play every 3 or 4 days. When their teams are not playing, supporters will frequent the Fan Parks or embark on tours within the city of their choice.

2. Fan Parks
Fan Parks are situated in central areas so that general public can watch all the games. Entrance to the Fan Parks is free and it is expected that these Fan Parks will attract a lot of visitors. In Germany 2006 one Fan Park attracted 500 000 spectators to watch one game. To avoid large transport infrastructure expense, training venues will also double as public viewing sites.

Fan Parks in the Western Cape
The Grand Parade; Somerset West Road;
Stellenbosch; Bellville Velodrome;
Swartklip; Atlantis;
Khayelitsha; Nomzamo Yethu (Hout Bay).

Training Facilities in the Western Cape
Newlands Rugby Ground; UCT Rugby Ground;
UWC Soccer Field; Bellville Rugby Ground;
Stellenbosch Rugby Ground; Athlone Stadium.

Fan Parks in Johannesburg (list to be updated)
Mary Fitzgerald Square in the Newton precinct;
Fan Parks in Soweto are to be expected;
Innes-Free Park in Sandton;
Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown.

Fan Parks in Durban (list to be updated)
The Durban Beach Front has been earmarked as one of Durban’s preferred sites for one or more Fan Parks during 2010.

3. Flights
To date no airline has released any prices or strategies for the World Cup period.
On pre and post match-days flights into and out of the venue cities will be overbooked. Due to the sheer volume of travellers, huge delays can be expected.

World Cup teams will use charter aircrafts and plan to use 2nd tier airports however their supporters will use the general airports. These airports will focus on scheduled international and domestic flights.

4. Accommodation
All the major hotel brands within South Africa have contracted with MATCH at a pre-defined room rate and therefore the normal Corporate rates will not be available during this period.
According to FIFA there is an approximate shortfall of 18 000 rooms for the World Cup. This supply and demand scenario allows B&B’s / Guesthouses to offer rooms at a premium.

5. Car Rental
It is most likely that all car rental companies will go on “stop-sale” for the period of the World Cup and rental cars will be scarce.

6. Road Closures
It is indicated that there will be limited access and in some instances complete road closures in the areas surrounding the stadium and fan parks. This will make it difficult for travellers to move freely between offsite meetings.

7. Critical Date
The next critical date for the WC2010 is the 4th December 2009 when the Pool draw is completed. This draw will indicate where the teams will be based and where their supporters will be spending most of their time.

8. Fixtures
The match schedule (see attached) will be updated after the draw on the 4th December 2009. Games will be played at: 13h30, 16h00 and 20h30. Travellers need to allow for traffic congestion both at the stadium and the Fan Parks. It is advisable to allow 2hrs lead time if travelling to / from these areas.

Recommendations for travel during this period:

• Do not travel during these periods unless it is critical to travel.
• Plan your trip well in advance; changes to a ticket over this period will be extremely difficult and very expensive.
• Try to make appointments at a location that is in the opposite direction of a stadium / fan park.
• Take flights during the times of when the games are being played. Games start at 13h30.
• Allow for a minimum of 2 hours to get to the airport in Cape Town and possibly 3 hours for Johannesburg. The congestion on the roads both to and from the Airports is going to be chaotic – plan for delays.
• Parking at the airport will be virtually impossible and it is advisable to get someone to drop / collect you from the airports. Transfer companies will be busy with tourists and will also be very expensive.

Take a look at these fantastic pictures of Cape Town’s stadium for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Last night the nights went on in the Mother City… and what a show.

Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium near Granger Bay lit up all 360 of its lights to show what fantastic progress they are making and what an incredible stadium. The 68,000 seater stadium is due to host 6 games during the tournament including one of the semi finals!

Cape Town had the whole package before hand, but now this… imagine the views of the stadiums on TV!!

And next day (today) the new South African coach will be announced. As is custom in SA, the speculations and rumours are rife…and it’s assummed that Carlos Parreira will be reinstated before the day is out.

For those wanting tickets to the World Cup, there are still tickets available, but the big rush on accommodation will happen on 4 December when the final World Cup draw will take place.

Mud Hut Travel will be able to offer fantastic packages to southern Africa during this time. So throw in a short break up to the Vic Falls in Zimbabawe, or to the beaches of Mozambique in between your teams games.

Get in touch or subscribe to our newsletter for more offers.

Keep smiling,

Sam

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs is to issue special “event visas” for soccer fans coming to the 2010 Fifa World Cup, enabling fans to use dedicated counters at major airports around the world for pre-clearance before they arrive in the country.

South African immigration officials - who are able to speak in several languages - will be stationed at several of the busiest airports around the world, including in the UK, India, Dubai and Hong Kong, where fans will be able to go through a free pre-screening and pre-clearance process.

Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said this would be the first time that such a visa is used by a country hosting a major world event.

The immigration officials will also be equipped with hi-tech devices for scanning passports or travel documents. By electronically capturing information from the documents, officials will save time by not having to type in information.

With such improvements, the department hopes to do better than the international best practice times of interaction between the traveller and immigration official, which is between one minute and one minute and 30 seconds.

Security

The department says its immigration officials will be working with foreign governments and airline personnel to identify irregular migration patterns during the course of the event, as well as ensure that “undesirable persons”, who may be a threat national security, do not enter the country.

Home Affairs’ 2010 programme manager Morne Fourie explained that certain minimum requirements had to be met when issuing a special visa: “You need proof of purchase of your ticket for the match, you need to meet certain health requirements - like holding a yellow fever certificate, if required - and you need to have a return ticket and a valid passport.”

Quick entry, exit

Those passengers who have received pre-clearance by South African immigration officials will be able to arrive in South Africa and go straight through to baggage collection and on to customs.

Mapisa-Nqakula said that the move would enhance the department’s ability to facilitate the entry and exit process through the country’s borders, resulting in a less frustrating journey, leading to a positive impression of the country as a whole.

Well fellow sports fans… that’s just another wonderful thing to make your Wourld Cup experience a bit easier. Now you just need to get your accompanying package and you are ready to have an adventure of a lifetime!!

How about a week in Zmibabwe at the Victoria Falls followed by a three day safari in Chobe, Botswana. Prices for these or any other custom travel options on request at Mud Hut Travel.

South Africa 2010…. forward!!

Keep smiling,

Rob

The Lions Rugby tour has started and whilst the three tests in Durban, Jo’burg and Pretoria are what the rugby fans may be watching… there is a bigger test for football fans.

The Confederations Cup is being held in South Africa during the the same time as the Lions Rugby Tour, and the concurrent running of these tour sporting festivals will clarify any doubts about the suitability for South Africa as the FIFA World Cup venue for 2010.

Whilst the quality of the football will be superb, this tournament will be a superb test for tours and trips that have been arranged by various operators. The Lions’ itinerary is more similar to the expected World Cup fixtures and packages. Numerous venues all across the country with spare travel days between match days. Whilst there are many packaged deals to South Africa for both the Lions and Confederations Cup, Mud Hut has custom built all the travel itineraries for its football and rugby clients. Many of them have also taken the opportuinty to visit Mozambique or Botswana as an added on beach island getaway or African bush safari.

The state of the stadiums has hopefully been put to rest, but there will be some tests for the stadium management and ground staff. Loftus Versfeld and Ellis Park will both hold test matches and are one of the four grounds to be used in the Confedrations Cup. Loftus host the World Champions South Africa and the Lions on 27th June, and 6 days before host the other World Champions Italy and 5 times World Cup winners Brazil. Ellis Park host the Springboks and the Lions final tour match on 4th July and the Confederations Cup Final a few days before.

All in all it will be a fascinating time in southern Africa - but with one eye on the rugby and the other eye on the football, you’re lucky that Mud Hut Travel has an eye on the travel side of things…

Keep smiling,

Rob

For those of you wondering whether the stadiums will be completed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a few weeks ago at the World Travel Market, Mud Hut Africa found out that out of the 8 World Cup stadiums being built or renovated, only one of them is on time…. ONE… !!

Unfortunately (for all those sceptics), the others were all between 2 and 8 weeks ahead of schedule… yes, AHEAD of schedule. Luckily the 2010 World Cup is being held in southern Africa, and not in North London where building stadiums tend to run years over deadline. Interestingly, London has recently announced that had it foreseen the financial strains the current credit crunch are imposing on the construction industry,

they would not have bid for the 2012 Olympics. However, in 2005 South Africa committed R550 billion to infrastructure development for the World Cup, and 65% of those funds have already been spent.

Last week at the WTM, I had a ticket to sit in on a meeting with some members of the South African organising committee,  FIFA World Cup members and the South African Tourism Board.

After some really informative presentations, the first question asked was, ‘Does FIFA have any back-up plans if the 2010 football World Cup doesn’t go ahead in South Africa?’. Hans Klaus, the Director Of Communications And Public Affairs for FIFA, laughed and said, ‘If I had a dollar - no, cent for everytime someone asked me that, I would be able to host my own World Cup…!!’

No contingency plan has been put in place, but there is a plan should something unexpected like a major natural disaster occur. This is a process plan that is in place for every World Cup - so for all the sceptics… hard luck. For all the 450,000 fans expected to make the trip to southern Africa… get your 2010 World Cup tickets!!!

Tickets will be going on sale from 2nd February 2009 to the independant traveller, but agents and brokers who are registered with FIFA will get an allocation in November, and then can sell them as packages. Mud Hut Travel has secured the services of various ground handlers for the 2010 World Cup, and we are well positioned to offer a custom travel package for you and your fellow football fans.

Should you not want to commit in advance to a package, you can buy your own tickets, and then once the final World Cup draw is known, you can contact Mud Hut Africa to custom package a trip to southern Africa around your teams and tickets dates. Mud Hut will not only give you a great football experience, but also the chance to enjoy much of the regions natural beauty, custom and hospitality. Have a look at Mud Hut Travel to see what else you would like to combine into your trip - walking safaris, tropical island getaways, 4×4 adventures, surfing tours, golf travel..

Another question asked referred to the political uncertainty in southern Africa, and what would happen with Jacob Zuma, his various court cases and the elections happening next year. What was pleasing to here was a response from the government saying that if Zuma, Motlanthe, Shilowa, Lekota or Helen Zille were in the presidents seat, they would all want the World Cup to be a success. It is in no-one’s political or personal interest to sabotage or destabilise the World Cup preparations. Hopefully this World Cup will have the same unifying effect that the previous cricket and rugby one’s have had on South Africa.

The meeting with the various World Cup organisers was incredibly informative, and I could go on for ages about the development and benefit that it will bring to the region. However, I would like to end off by saying that I am very positive about the 2010 World Cup and look forward to the showcase that South Africa will put on!!

See you in South Africa in 2010!!

Rob

Yesterday Mud Hut Travel headed to their first WTM Show at London’s Excel center. It was a great opportuntiy to meet with many of our suppliers from southern Africa, and to put faces to the names and email addresses.

There was also the opportunity to set up some new great contacts for our Mud Hut clients: particularly in the adventure travel, responsible travel, overland safaris and Lions and FIFA World Cup tours. We know that many of our tours incorporate or request these activities in their custom southern African travel package, so it was good to benefit from the opportunites presented by WTM. Please watch our site for updates, or send as an enquiry.

Today is the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day - which is now in it’s second year. Mud Hut are really looking forward to the discussions around responsible and sustainable travel. We are not on any panel nor receiving an award, but watch this space next year!!

In the current market, any new lodge, resort, activity or accommodation would be fairly irresponsible if they did not consider the impact of their venture on the environment, the community and also the longevity of their project. The southern Africa travel industry faces its own unique challenges with regards to sustainable travel.

Whilst green technology in the travel and tourism industry is considerably more attainable then in the previous century, it is still a comparatively expensive option - particularly in southern Africa. Projects with less capital funding may struggle to open and begin operating as eco-friendly or responsible travel options, and lose the advantage of this competitive and strategic advantage.

A few years back, one of the Mud Hut founders considered entering into a joint venture with a Malawian family to open a drum cafe and African bar on the shores of lake Malawi. For various reasons this fell through, but this cafe would certainly not have been ‘green’ or eco-friendly. Materials and labour would all have been sourced locally, and profits would have gone straight back into the community - so it could be sustainable…. but responsible? There wasn’t a consideration into the impact on the surrounding environment - all that was considered was the short term welfare of the family and the community.

This issue is one which the Mud Hut Tribe has noticed on their travels through developing areas of Africa and the world. It is all well and good to promote tourism and travel as a source of income of locals, but at what cost to the environment or the communities affected? Think of the relocation of families and communities out of areas designated for game reserves. In recent years this issue is more sensitively and wisely approached, but were the Zambian government intending to develop and restock Liuwa Plains in remote western Zambia - would they be willing to sufficiently relocate or accommodate the Lozi people that live within it’s boudaries?

I guess this is a dilemma that faces many travellers and tourists who are wanting to contribute to the economy and development of a nation, but do not want to see it adversely affected on another front.

In this regard, I was disappointed not to see Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) at the WTM show. Perhaps some of their delegates will be there today, but it is a great opportunity to put a southern African stamp on the whole ‘responsible travel’ day.

Anyway, I am beginning to run out of time and I must catch my train for the long trip to the Excel center. If you are there today, please come and say hi - we will be hanging around the southern African section!

Keep well and will write again soon.

Rob